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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — to come down
  4. last — to go on
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — magic
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — a tool
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — a container
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — final
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — letters
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com